script

Introduction

First Generation business students at the Lundquist College of Business are dropping out of college and not reaching the point where their leadership qualities can materialize, and they can enter the workforce as an accomplished leader. ExCELL’s duty is to help grow every Lundquist College of Business student leadership ability to prepare them for the workforce. That is not happening with first-generation students who are dropping out. Our group has three first-generation students in it. We have personal experiences with these problems and know that these are real problems many first-generation students at the LCB currently struggle with. Today we are introducing a way to combat this problem. Combining new data and proven first-generation programs we have come up with an innovative way to help give these students an experiential learning atmosphere and a new way to learn leadership qualities.

Situational Analysis

First generation college students are ill-equipped and unprepared for University classes and life. According to data provided by the ACT,

· only 10% of first-generation student test takers met their college readiness requirements

Because of this, first-generation students drop-out of college at a higher rate than continuing-generation students, thus failing to become prominent workplace leaders. According to a study done by the National Center for Education Studies:

· only 20% of first-generation students earned their bachelor’s degree

How can ExCELL be preparing first-generation students to be workplace leaders when they are dropping out at higher rates than their continuing generation peers?

If ExCELL wants to contribute to its mission of “preparing students to be leaders in the workplace through experiential learning,” then they should choose our solution to help teach first-generation students, through experiential learning, how to become exceptional leaders driving themselves and their peers. First generation students are important to the Lundquist College of Business because they offer a set of diverse interests and experiences. Part of the Lundquist College of Business’ vision is to embody the qualities of the Oregon culture, one quality being, “respect for individuality and diversity within an increasingly global community.” Having first-generation students at the Lundquist College of Business helps everyone because it introduces new voices into every classroom. First-generation college students were admitted to the Lundquist College of Business for a reason, therefore, it is ExCELL’s duty to help keep them on their paths to becoming prominent campus leaders and aspiring professionals.

The majority of the students we interviewed form the LCB had limited knowledge of resources available. One of the students expressed he was struggling with his course load and was unaware of the Braddock tutoring center. The student found a difference in their experience compared to other students. Their friend, a continuing generation student, was more aware of the building, resources, and classes.

It was evident all the parents of the students we interviewed were unable to assist with college-related tasks because they lacked the knowledge and experience. We have conducted interviews with many first-generation currently enrolled in the LCB and we have found that very few of them use the resources provided by the LCB. They were either unaware of the resources available or felt that the resources were not helpful to them. Many first-generation need additional help in order to succeed in college.

Current Efforts

Currently, the university does provide resources aimed towards first-generation students in the form of scholarships and workshops. However, these resources are limited and many students are simply not aware they exist. Without proper assistance provided by the LCB, first-generation students are failing to graduate on time and become the future leaders ExCELL aims for. The goal of our proposal is to give the first generation students the knowledge they lack and put them on the right track to becoming future workplace leaders.

Objectives

We firmly believe that the success of first-generation students at the Lundquist College of Business leads to creating a more diverse community within the University of Oregon as a whole. We would also like to work with the Lundquist College of Business and the University of Oregon to monitor the graduation rates of first-generation students. Our goals are as follows:

· Overarching goal: Give first-generation students the knowledge and tools they need to be successful in college and beyond.

· Specific Goal: Close the graduation rate gap between first and continuing-generation students by 20% within the Lundquist College of Business in five years.

Solution

The overview

· Two one hour sessions

· The first session consisting of a:

· meet and greet, speaker, and introduction to the assignment.

· The second session will consist of a:

· reflection period and goal setting workshop

The Schedule

Day one

First generation students will be invited to an exclusive event at the Lundquist College of Business during their first term being admitted to the LCB. To start, a First generation Alumnus will talk about their experience at the LCB and through the educational system. As well as a small speech about the resources that helped them in the LCB. We are looking to give the students a perspective and idea of factors that could help them get through college. Following the guest speakers, we will invite faculty members for a meet and greet allowing the students to network and create professional relationships. Finally, at the end of the program, an announcement will be made about the assignment to be completed before the next event. The assignment will be to speak to two different first-generation students, one who graduated and one who dropped out. Such questions may be:

· Ask them about their lives during and after college.

· Is there anything they would have changed?

This will provide an opportunity to have students compare what they found to why they came to college and what they want to achieve. This part of the program will additionally push students to immerse themselves, experience, and get to know people in both situations. Students will then summarize what they found and experienced into a few sentences.

Day two: (one hour)

Students will be split into small groups and share their thoughts and experience they had. They will have time to discuss how they felt about the experience and how it may have changed their view on College. For a short period of time, students will write a short reflection about what they felt they have learned and gained from their experience in the program so far. Finally, in the last 30 minutes of the second day, there will be workshop teaching students how to set smart goals. The workshop will consist of a short talk by a leadership speaker followed by time for each student to write and share SMART goals they have set. The idea behind this exercise is to push students to visualize what they want to achieve and also create accountability.

Costs

Time:

· Our (input number of sessions) will total two hours of information, guest speaking, and workshopping.

· We will need time before hand to fine tune our content even though we have a broad view of what the course would look like.

Resources:

· We will need a classroom in the Lillis Business Complex to hold each session.

Money:

· Our $100 budget will be spent on advertising the course and acquiring first generation students to work with.

Conclusion

Currently first generation students are entering the LCB unprepared and underperforming as compared to their continuing generation peers. Having three first generation students in our group, a majority of our group have had personal experience with many of the struggles first generation students face in going to college. Thus, we recognize that there is a need for further assistance among first generation students. However, the LCB is not providing these students with the help they need to become prominent workplace leaders. We believe that our solution can help bridge the gap between first generation students and continuing generation students. First generation students are essential as they bring new ideas and perspectives into the classrooms of the LCB. Therefore, it is up to ExCELL to implement our solution in order to keep first generation students on track to becoming future workplace leaders.